Missouri football had one of the best seasons in program history in 2023. The Tigers won the Cotton Bowl, in a thrilling game over Ohio State. The Tigers extended the contract of their head coach Eliah Drinkwitz after that victory. The team returns a lot of talent in 2024, and there's no reason to believe they won't be able to compete for a SEC Conference championship. Here are some way-too-early bold predictions for Missouri football this coming season.
Luther Burden III will be SEC Player of the Year
Missouri football has an outstanding wide receiver, in Luther Burden III. The wideout put up outstanding numbers in 2023, finishing the season with 1,212 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. He posted 86 receptions on the season, and helped turn around the Missouri offense.
His numbers were impressive, by any stretch of the imagination. He was arguably the breakout player in the SEC last year, as he finished the 2022 campaign with just 375 receiving yards. Missouri football fans are salivating at the thought that Burden could do even better in 2024.
Burden's been named to the preseason All-SEC team, by the news media. There's no doubt he has talent, but it also isn't a stretch to think he can be the SEC Player of the Year. If the Tigers make the SEC conference championship this season, it will certainly be due in part to Burden's production. He's the heart of this offense.
Missouri football will make the SEC Championship game
The Tigers are poised to make a run at the SEC Championship, and it's bold to say they will do it. They absolutely have a chance to get there, however. Missouri football is picked sixth in the conference preseason poll. The only road game they have this season among the top five teams is at Alabama, on October 26.
Missouri has a favorable conference schedule. The team doesn't have to play Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU or Texas. They do play South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State. Those three teams are all picked near the bottom of the league. While it is certainly possible that those teams won't be among the worst in the league, an analysis of the Missouri schedule on paper shows that the Tigers certainly have a path to make it to the conference title game at the end of the calendar year.
Missouri football will have the best receiving room in the SEC
Luther Burden isn't the only good wideout on this roster. In fact, the receiving room is completely stacked for the Tigers. The team returns three other great players in Theo Wease Jr., Mookie Cooper and Marquis Johnson. All three of those players finished the 2023 season with at least 380 receiving yards.
The four wide receivers collectively finished in the top 4 last season on the team in receiving yards, so Missouri returns their top four pass catchers. It's going to take some of the best defensive backs in the country to defeat this receiving corps from scoring almost at will week after week.
Missouri football kicks off its season on August 29 against Murray State. The program also plays non conference games with Boston College, Buffalo and UMass. The team plays their first SEC game against Vanderbilt on September 21.
Missouri finished the 2023 season with 11 wins, and a top ten ranking in the final college football poll. Tigers fans have reason to believe the squad can replicate that incredible success once again.
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